Holcomb requests $5M more for school security in first action since Parkland shooting

Gov. Eric Holcomb delivers his second State of the State address as Indiana Governor, at the Indiana Statehouse, Indianapolis, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018. Holcomb cited re-training Indiana workers as his administration's top priority, in order to fill an estimated 85,000 unfilled jobs. Holcomb called it "the defining issue of the decade" and set a goal for the coming year to educate or retrain 55,000 Hoosiers who don't have a high school diploma or didn't finish college.(Photo11: Jenna Watson/IndyStar)Buy Photo

Gov. Eric Holcomb is asking the Indiana legislature for an extra $5 million for school security grants, the first major move the state has taken toward bolstering safety in schools since the Parkland, Fla., shooting that left 17 dead.

The governor has requested the additional money for the Indiana Secured School Safety Fund, which provides matching grants to schools to hire school resource officers and purchase equipment to bolster school security. The state currently dedicates around $10 million a year to the fund.

The most recent round of grant applications exceeds available funds by $3.5 million, according to the governor. His request would take the total fund up to $15 million for this year.

"This increase will allow us to not only increase the state match for the Indiana Secured School Safety Fund Grants but also expand the uses for Secured School Safety Funds," Holcomb said in a letter to lawmakers released Friday.

With three days left in the legislative session, lawmakers have a tight window to make it happen but Republican leadership said on Thursday there was time to fulfill the governor's request.

"We're going to augment the schools safety fund and make more grants available to local schools around the state," said House Speaker Brian Bosma.

At the is point, the additional $5 million is just a request Lawmakers need to give augmentation authority to the state budget agency in legislation this session. It will likely be a shift from the general fund, according to the governor's office.

Rep. Tim Brown, the House's chief budget writer, said on Thursday that the money could come from the state's reserve funds, which hold around $2 billion.

Several other school safety-related proposals were introduced late in the legislative session. Lawmakers are looking for a summer study committee on school safety and have asked the Indiana Department of Education to audit each school's safety plan.